The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-18

See that speck up there. that pint half mile
up the mounTIn. wal, that's IT. you uoI
keer for yer life and has good legs you might
reach it alive. If you've breath left then, you
kin diskiver "A tunnel six foot inter the mount In,
and rock, all the rock YOU want. but there
never was, nor never Will be any streaks OF pay
dirt there and no way OF Citing 1t down II there
was. Some of her secrets this old mount In
wnnt give up, and where a human gifts over
bold in climbing up and trying to fod out. why
she jest shets down ON him at the start Poker
Sam played you for a sucker'-I looked him
over-"I guess you was easy to play
Possibly" he says carelessy. He drawed
out cigar and give me one. He set back then
smoking coolly, his hat slider him and the little
rings of hair curling round his forehead. I
chewed my cigar awhile to git the taste
'Bustedl' l asks.
I'm the vernacular of the country, just that. >
he laughs
Rich folks mebbel"
Haven't soul to care whether I live or
die He looked kinder far away then, and L
would bet agin heavy odds, tibet there was
gal concerned in it. took big shine to the
Teller and after while offered him a job up to
my mine, to work on shares. him to throw in the
grub-stake he had with him. He was willing
enough. so from that day, Ed-thats name
enough for story-and me was pards. Folks
usually called grounding Bige' and they
nicknamed him English Ed" but 1 usually
called him pard. Get alongl You bet was
ignorant old creature and he was college
larned, but that wasn't difference. he was
friendly to as to chum of his own class.
mebbe more SO. for when / got rheumatlcs, he
was OH TO Ourav, and cold TOO, 10 GIT nnnefIneIlL
and played the nurse complete. He was lots OF
company and the dorg-Doc the pups
name. Pard took jest much intrest IN Cutie
and ellis as and got more books; one about
the gamest old teller. Pickwick, and the eating
and drinking in that volume would make your
mouth water. We read him whilst we ate pork
and biscuit and drunk coffee thout no milk nor
sugar. We dom well in the mine but
when you think of the ways vittles has to be
brought on the backs of them burros, you amt
setting up for entries-as Ed used to say. He
III Ill bod fr of
never said word about his folks though
Bout Christmas time, and we want so showed
in by then but that you could git along on snow
shoes, was reading Pickwick over agin. He
aloud in difrent voices, making it jest real
as live folks a talkin, when says sudden: III
do it by gosh!
''Whati" he kinder jumped and the pup riz up
and licked my hand.
Why" says l. I'll hoof it to Ouray and lay
in chicken-a turkey if / git it, pertaters,
a squash, cranberries and the truck to make
plum pudding. I'll celebrate. can't hear of
them Dickenss fellers eating no more and try
ing to fill myself up salt horse and slops. I'll
git one good feed if it takes a leg or costs
ut will be the latter" he says sober enough.
'you couldn't make walking market of your
self over three feet of snow on the edge OF a
precipice."
I'm light and easy on snow shoes"
But" he interrupts, whats the matter with
my goingr
attempts to walk on SnowshoeS and his Wab-
blings, you ain t no bird on EN-, pard."
ne laughed then like boy. Its a deal"
says, land termorrer; the Oath. Ill set off early
and git back by night and we'll set up and eat
till morning. I'll get brandy for the pudding
sass. but pard." l finished anxious, How is
them buildings nader
why, flour, raisinS, lard or butter-some-
Butter" puts. SITS eighty cents pound
at Ouray. and guess that's rich enough"
Butter, currants, molasses to make 1t brown,
and spice mixed and cooked"
II callate I'll git it mixed to the store says
sand my travelling will beat it up"
''Then you sew it up in a bag which you boil
and make sauce of brandy that you pour over
and set afre, and it burns blue flame. That is
the way used to have it at home" His face
grew sad and 1 knew he was going inter them
gloOmS aein.
Waste of good licker," I says under my
breath, but he didn't note me.
set out early the next morning leaving him
and the pup at home. 1t wasn't bad going and the
air was fresh and full of sunshine. They was
sprised to at Ouray and laughed deal
at the truck / bought and paid for with gold
dust. found the pudding stuff so heavy that l
really had it mixed in pail Invent over to a
saloon for awhile and it bout three in the
afternoon when come back for my things.
had asked the storekeeper, who was also post
master, if there were any letters for pard, but
there want. l tied the eight pound turkey
round my neck with the pudding pail the vege
tables and squash-that seemed to weigh
ton before was four miles my way. l filed
my pockets with papers and books, bottle of
brandy and tobacco AS l fixed my snowshoes
the storekeeper came out
.'Queer thing. Bige," he says. ''bout an hour
fore you got back from the saloon an English
man named Ingalls,, here arsking if knowed
your pard Ed told him where he was and
off he goes. Impatient and stuck up enough.
wouldn't listen to caution. Thought mebbe
our mountin trail was bolerward where he
could find boss keers and them two-wheeled
cabs with jay up behind Off he jumps like
flash. 1 says. try it, young Teller; you'll be back
in two Telp all
going that way"
'Ill meet him" says. and starts. The crowd
give three three cheers for me and wished me a
merry Chris'must Keep some of that pud-
ding for me till spring, it will be hard enough"
yells the storekeeper, 'for you wouldn't take
no soda in it," Pard hadn't mentioned soda,
oughter be done. ''S long!" L calls and goes
on. For three four miles 1 could see tracks
quite plain in the snow and kept a lookout for
Ingalls, but my progress was awful slow. 1
was so beat out that / swore at the vittles, pard
and Chris mus straight along. The turkey
growed heavier and heavier, and once lost it
and had to go back half mile. I wasn't
likely pictur as 1 foundered along, and was
ugly enough to fight my best friend. Curious
enough put all my mad on that Teller ahead
1.-THE idee," I'd say, ''of him daring to climb
this mountain alone in snow time"
Bout ten miles on my way, just as I was
Strengthening up my back after making another
hitch on the turkey. l felt something sharp
strike nv face. knowed / was in for it, snow
at Christmas time in these mountins means
darkness, drifts and death. But that didn't
stump me, every inch of that road was plain as
map in my mind. and blunted by cold stunned
by the snow and darkness, 1 forgot ingalls, en-
tirely. and must have passed close by him. /
had enough to do to fight for my own life. On
I goes and game enough to hang to the truck; l
want going to be beat outer that dinner for all
the snow in Colorado. Every and then
when I got kinder sleepy and a sly idee KEEP
coming how slick it would be to lie down and
take a nap-that means never git up but freeze
TO death-the old turkey would swing round
and fetch me a smart slap in the face. kinder
growed to think the old bird wanted to be
roasted. and git up to the cabin to give his re-
mans for the celebration.
got along all right till got to where ought
to turn off to the trail and there dassent leave
the road. I wasn't sure where it lay. 1 listened
and heard the muftled sound of a gun. and this
follered, wondering where pard got his sense
1 stumbled up the mountain side hollering,
and soon got a answer and the happiest sight
of my life. see big yaller glare. 1t was pard
a burning kerosene:
Glad it's cheap" L says ironically, for it
amt. He laughs and takes all the truck and
founders on ahead where a distance by the
hoyv1iuD T knoyvad fled and ba